Next Seminar
Date: May 17th 2023
Time: 2PM-4PM
Location: Césure (Paris I University Campus), 13 rue Santeuil, 75005, Paris. Room 375 3rd Floor
First Presentation:
Pierre-Olivier Goffard
(Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and University of Strasbourg)

Stochastic Models for Blockchain Analysis
Abstract:
My talk discusses simple models to study the consensus protocols at the heart of blockchain systems. An overview of blockchain and consensus algorithms is provided before examining simple models for evaluating the efficiency, security, and decentralization of blockchain systems based on two famous protocols, namely proof-of-work and proof of stake.
Second Presentation:
Xiaotong Sun
(Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow)

Voter Coalitions and Democracy in Decentralized Finance: Evidence from MakerDAO
Abstract:
Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) provides a decentralized governance solution through blockchain, where decision-making process relies on on-chain voting and follows majority rule. This paper focuses on MakerDAO, and we find five voter coalitions after applying clustering algorithm to voting history. The emergence of a dominant voter coalition is a signal of governance centralization in DAO, and voter coalitions have complicated influence on Maker protocol, which is governed by MakerDAO. This paper presents empirical evidence of multicoalition democracy in DAO and further contributes to the contemporary debate on whether decentralized governance is possible.